nice report - keep it coming!
nice report - keep it coming!
I can relate so well to the red-eye from LAX, done it many times -- it's always tough on me! Past few reaches, I've switched to morning flights, and I don't mind getting to Negril late at night because now I stay for longer at a time. One of those once-you-go-you-know type things.
I have NEVER been able to simply arrive in my Negril hotel room and go to sleep. Can't be done.
Really excited about this report. The more details the better, my friend!
Damn...I feel for you guys who come from the West coast
I'm blessed in that it's only plus or minus eight hours from closing my front door to throwing my suitcase on the bed at Seastar.
Praise Jah
BTW.... does the time change take long to adapt to. I can handle East to West but West to East messes me up
Linston's Zion Hill Taxi
Captain Dave
Captaind,
The redeye does suck for sure, however the time change is trivial as time is not important to me when I am on vacation. We do miss most mornings and jump out of bed around 10, but that's mostly due to the partying from the night before. I could leave early am and arrive in the evening, but I feel like I have wasted a good day, so the red eye it is till I simply cannot hang any longer.
So we hit Rick's, as I said earlier it was either before or after Rexy's, regardless it was interesting to say the least.
Wow what a killer medallion!
So we hit the beer ladies up and quickly realized that the best vantage point was from the lower platform. Just as soon as we hit the lower platform the tip request started pouring in. So I yelled" I'll tip for a great dive."
Next thing you know this guy hits the top platform and makes a killer dive, dude has much bigger nuts then I do for sure. It is a sight to be seen and not missed at least once.
Amongst the couple younger jackasses are a few shining stars. I say younger jackasses as one punk yelled "f you lady" to my wife when she would not tip him. Now if you know Sandie you would know that she is sweet as they come, so this was way off base. Good thing is an older diver jumped in and made the kid get out of the water and sit on the cliff on the south side of Rick's, I guess you could call it a time out. He gave him a good tongue lashing as well, nice how these guys police themselves. One diver in particular stood out and was a true gentleman. I'm sure some of you regulars know this guy, as he has been jumping there for years.
Anyhow, we have our fill and it was time to leave and get ready for our first night in Negril. We finished the night up at Ivan's and at some point we went to bed. I told Sandie that I was getting up for breakfast and that it would be off site. She loves to sleep but mentioned that she would be up too and wanted to check it out.
Just Natural soon come.....
Last edited by booger; 10-16-2011 at 02:58 PM.
Allowing an hour to get to the airport and park, then at least an hour check-in time, then seven hours or so flight time and give or take two hours layover (usually Texas or Miami), then another two to go through customs and ride to Negril, it's at least 13 hours, door to door, from the West Coast.
That's about as much as I can handle .... Curse the airlines for terminating one-ways from L.A. to Montego Bay!
So up we are and man I am excited. We have 7 more nights of fun to be had but right now I am huuuuungry. Sandie sends me to the bar to grab her some of the complimentary blue mountain coffee and as I stand there in my haze waiting my turn I come across this sign.
Man, isn't that the truth!
So we hop in a route taxi and we are on way. Pull up to Jus Natural and it looks just like I expected.
We walk in and soon are greeted by Teresa. The place is sensory overload and I'm just trying to take it all in. Teresa tells us to sit anywhere and I have my first hard decision of the trip. Every little spot looks cool, but I'll take this one and we plop down near the road with a view of the gardens as well as Kaisers. All I have heard about the place is that they used to put on shows and everything else is shady as of late. Kaisers looks interesting, but just like last time it looks empty.
Teresa brings us the menu and we chat for some time. She is quite the hostess and makes us feel completely welcome. We are the only ones there the entire meal and literally have the place to ourselves. The food was killer and I promised myself that I would be back. She also has some jewelry and some other items that her and her sister work on that are available for purchase. It's important to mention too that the prices that she charges are some of the lowest I have seen at a restaurant in Negril. Great food and great prices in an awesome setting equals a great experience, capped off by one sweet lady.
After breakfast we hit Digicel down by Scotia to pick up a Jamacian phone. My kiddo (booger) is back home with my Mom and it's necessary to have some sort of communication. A little over $4000j later we walk out with a new phone, 1000 international minutes, and 125 local minutes. The phone worked great the entire trip and it was so nice to have the peace of mind. Thanks Tom Hudson for posting the info literally two days before we hit town.
On the way back we hit Banmark to get some local cash(thanks Lisa for the tip). Last trip we just used the ATM at Scotia and I wished I would have just used Banmark now that I see how easy it is. One word of caution though, the place is hot as hell! By the time I walked out I was dripping with sweat. It's a much chiller scene though compared to the ATM at Scotia and some of the beggars who hang out there.
Today we decide we will do nothing but swim, lounge, drink, swim, lounge, eat , drink, swim, drink, drink, drink, you get the idea. I have my spot that I could film my own Corona commercial at. I could sit here for days, but this trip we decide we are going to do a little more then our last one.
A great way to start the drinking day, especially if you are bloated from too much beer is a Purple Rain.
Carol at Ivan's makes a killer one!
Now like I said, we planned to do nothing but chill at Catcha all day. Tomorrow is Sandie's Bday and I have a fun day planned out. However we met some cool people staying there, 2 of which who wanted to go out, but both being ladies were a little uncertain by what they would encounter out on the town. So much for plans.........
3 Dives soon come........
Last edited by booger; 10-16-2011 at 06:08 PM.
Hey Dave! How are you and the lovely Mrs's doing? Don't let me beat you back again. We are looking at either April or May. I'm leaning towards early April so that I can take in some shows, however it looks like the spay and neuter clinic will be back to Negril in May and Sandie wants to work it. We are waiting for the final dates on the clinic before we book.Originally Posted by davevols
So off to 3 Dives it is. Our last trip I was pretty F'd up and do not remember much about our time there. I remember a magician bringing me up and putting a cigarette out in my shirt. So this is really my first time eating there and remembering it.
We hit the window and say hi to Paula, I do remember her from the last trip as we saw her at Eddie's last time we were in town. I have read a lot of reviews of how long it takes to get your food there, it must be a high season issue as we were served in roughly a half hour. I wasn't sure how long it would take to get our food though so I recommended that we all double fist it and hit the edge of the cliff to take the sunset in.
It was a gorgeous night and everyone was in great spirits. Soon after the pic was taken our food was ready and everyone enjoyed their meal. A few beers later and it was time to move on. I told the ladies about the caves at Xtabi which I call the "bat caves" and off we were. I enjoy the vibe at Xtabi and look forward to hanging out there during the day if we decide to stay at a property not on the water, Seastar being the front runner. Great time was had at Xtabi and it was time to head back and finish the night at Ivan's. Everyone had done a great job self medicating all day and we also had the big day ahead of us tomorrow for Sandie's Bday. We did make a slight detour though.
I believe that is Teresa's sister in the mix. We say our good bye's and off we are back to Ivan's.
Ty bone is in the house! Ty was off last night, so this was our first time seeing him. Ty and Kevin are both awesome bartenders that make the vibe right. They typically close at 10, however if the crowd is there and the vibes are right they will stay open longer. Tonight was one of those nights! We all had way too much to drink and we had to help one of the ladies back to the room. They were staying in the new building that Harry built a couple of years ago. I had not yet seen one of the rooms, so it was nice to be able to check it out. Let me tell you, those rooms are sweet! We love Libra, but might make the change next trip. They have a fair amount of space and a killer view from the balcony. Don't forget this if you are staying in Sagi. LOL!
Sandie's Bday and road trip soon come.......
Last edited by booger; 10-16-2011 at 04:42 PM.
Enjoying the trip report and pictures so far! Great swan dive capture at Ricks Cafe! I'll definitely have to try the Purple rain at Ivans. that looks sooo good! I love the vibe at Jus Natural, it looks beautiful too. I'm looking forward to our upcoming trip to Catcha! only 17 days to go! Your trip report is giving me a sneak peak, love it!
I just wish I lived closer to Jamaica...Like you and Gerry described.. it's a long journey from the westcoast. The door to door travel time between SF to Negril both ways adds up to about 26 hours! My friends think I'm crazy that I go through all that hassle for only 6 nights but It's worth it! Red eye sucks but it's the way to go, you can sleep and wake up for the layover, then fall back to sleep..wake up in Jamaica!
Keep it coming! Looking forward to reading about Sandie's B-day!
Carpe Diem
Awww man booger this is killing me....good stuff.
We JUST got home (sigh) and the first post I read is this one.....I could almost cry as I am missing Catcha and Jamaica so bad already. We had the best time too and I am smiling reading your comments and seeing your pics....We love Kevin...and Ty and hell, everyone! We LOVE Catcha!
But your comment about the balconies and Sagi made me laugh out loud for real.
When we checked in to Sagi Mauvette was so excited to show us the new outdoor shower they built after the storm. We thought it was great, then she added that you can shut the shudders on the front of the porch and sunbathe nude if you want.....well after she left I turned around and I was looking at the new building and I said to the hubby....ummmm sunbathe nude....sure you could, as long as you are ok with everyone in the new building enjoying their view! Hahahaha, and don't even get me started on the "window" in the shower....great views of Rick's Cafe while you shower....but also, a pretty good view for anyone at Ricks as well! Hahahaha
Not sure how I will sleep tonight, no sounds of the waves crashing right under me.....
sigh
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